Toddler steals the show as fans flock to see Azzurri

A young Italian fan kicks the new Teamgeist official ball for the FIFA World Cup final as hundreds of fans gathered at the Azzurri's Meiderich training ground to give their idols a rousing send-off before their Sunday clash with France.

A toddler stole the show as around 2,000 Italian fans flocked to the Azzurri's Meiderich training ground to give their idols a rousing send-off before the World Cup final against France.

The supporters came to see their heroes in blue, but they saved the biggest cheer for a little boy who interrupted the session by climbing over a fence and running onto the pitch.

The players stopped in their tracks as the cheeky tot, dressed in an Italian shirt, ran to the nearest ball and went on a mazy dribble upfield towards the squad.

A security guard quickly intervened and carried the boy off the field and handed him over to his parents.

Many of the fans wore Italian shirts while others waved green, white and red flags in the last training session open to the public before the squad fly to Berlin for Sunday's showpiece.

The fans greeted their heros with chants of 'Italia', Italia' before singing 'Happy Birthday' to striker Alberto Gilardino, who turned 24 on Wednesday.

The only Italian player in the 23-man squad who didn't train was Alessandro Nesta. The AC Milan central defender has a groin strain and will not play in the final.